INSIDE beginner guide: right Ctrl, swimming and checkpoints
PC defaults, holding grab, returning before drowning, and the difference between checkpoints and loading. Refrigerator and water-level solutions remain in closed sections.
Edition: INSIDE PC Steam base game (app 304430, Windows). Console button labels, iOS touch controls and LIMBO puzzles are not mixed into these instructions
Verification scope: Public sources checked on 2026-10-04. Gameplay and the current installed build number have not been tested. PC defaults were cross-checked against multiple sources; follow in-game bindings if changed
Sources checked: 2026-10-04
17 / 17 rows
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PC controls: check Up and right Ctrl first
Start by opening Esc, settings and keyboard controls. These defaults agree across public PC settings images and control sources. Follow your displayed bindings or controller labels when different.
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Action | PC default input | Conditions and use | What to check if unresponsive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move left or right | ←／→ | Choose a direction on walkable ground or while swimming | Do not assume WASD is the default |
| Jump | ↑ | Jump from a platform; shares its default key with swimming upward | If only jump was rebound, it differs from upward movement |
| Grab or operate | Right Ctrl | Press near the target. Hold and add a direction to push, pull or lift | Check that it is right Ctrl rather than left Ctrl in settings |
| Climb a ladder or rope | ↑／↓ | Approach within gripping range | Separate sideways movement in the air from climbing after gripping |
| Swim or dive | Direction keys; Down to dive | Move down from the surface and upward toward the next exit | Do not repeatedly tap as though jumping on land |
| Menu | Esc | Check controls or access loading | If the mouse does not appear, choose items with direction keys |
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If your keyboard has no right Ctrl, rebind grab to an available key in the game. Space is not listed as the initial jump binding.
Grabbing often requires holding the button
The same action handles pushing, pulling, levers and doors. Distinguish where to hold and which direction to move instead of looking for additional buttons.
- Move immediately beside the movable object
- Press grab and check that the boy's hands grip it
- To push, move toward the object; to pull, move away from it
- If the exit is overhead, move the object, release grab and climb onto it
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Visible response | Possible state | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| The boy walks past the object alone | It is not gripped | Check distance, right Ctrl and bindings |
| His hands grip it but it does not move | The direction or prerequisite may be wrong | Check the opposite direction, lifting direction or required number of people |
| The device moves but immediately returns | The mechanism requires held input | Plan the route to the exit before releasing |
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Not every stationary object is movable. Distinguish background decoration from objects his hands can grip.
Underwater: plan the exit and breathing spot first
In early and middle underwater sections, staying submerged too long causes failure. There is no numerical oxygen gauge to rely on, so identify a return surface before diving deeply.
- Pause at the surface and locate the next surface, ladder or platform
- Limit each dive to one action. A reconnaissance trip to press a button and return can help
- If a surface lies beyond a pillar or wall, breathe there before the next dive
- If drowning repeatedly, review your starting position and intermediate surfacing before changing the whole route
A later scene changes your condition, but do not assume extended underwater time before reaching it. That change is in the main guide's closed solution.
On retrying, inspect one step before the failure
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Symptom | What to inspect | Action to try | Landmark to check after restarting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dogs catch you | Fallen trees, cliffs and temporary cover | Prepare to jump obstacles without hesitating immediately before them | The initial distance to the dogs |
| Unable to reach an underwater destination | Previous surface and passable gaps | Restore a route with surfacing between dives | Whether you restart at the surface or before the device |
| Detected by light | The shadow edge and light's movement direction | Wait in shadow and align your whole body within it | The light's direction on restart |
| A device never leaves enough time | Did you release it before activation finished? | Confirm that the door is sufficiently open before running | The lever and door's starting positions |
| Stuck at a people-count mechanism | Groups gathered on each floor and the remaining count | Check that everyone already recruited follows before searching a new area | The elevator and pressure plate underfoot |
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Restart position depends on the latest saved checkpoint. Every failure is not guaranteed to return you directly before the same handle.
Using checkpoints and the load screen
- To continue the main story, resume current progress
- To collect something earlier, choose a reached scene thumbnail on the load screen
- After the target action on a revisit, check collectible state or achievements
- To return to the main story, load your noted original scene
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Record | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Restart point | Where you retry after failure | Nearby object positions may return to an earlier state |
| Load-screen thumbnail | Entry point to a previously reached section | Match visible scenery rather than another guide's chapter numbering |
| Steam achievements | History of unlocked achievements | Do not treat this as identical to devices' current illumination in the game |
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A special collectible-reset operation is described separately under secrets in the collectibles article. It is not an ordinary revisit.
Answer 6 (spoilers)
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Open an early example of an unresponsive object
This solves the first high ledge in the forest, beside an old refrigerator.
- Hold right Ctrl beside the refrigerator and apply a direction to tip it over
- Release, then grab the fallen refrigerator again
- Push it directly below the ledge as a step
- Release, climb onto it and jump to the high ground on the right
Tipping over and pushing along the floor are separate actions. Once its posture changes, grab it again rather than repeatedly trying to jump a standing object.
Answer 7 (spoilers)
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Open the water-level room's upper-exit example
A red button changes the room's water level, with an upper-right passage.
- First raise the water level
- Dive and press the same button to start lowering it
- While the water remains high, swim to the upper-right exit platform
- Tip the tall floating object in the next room and bring it beneath the previous tank's chain
- Raise the water again and use the floating object to reach the chain
The water level that opens the exit need not be the level that lets you swim there. The mechanism uses the transition.
Answer 8 (spoilers)
Answer — reveal (spoilers)Close
Open vehicle controls
In the submarine, hold jump to charge, aim and release to dash as well as moving normally. Aiming upward near the surface can launch the whole craft out of the water.
- Practice charging and releasing once in open water before approaching an obstacle
- Aim the craft's front at breakable-looking boards or cracks
- Hold jump, align direction and release to dash
- If reinforcing bars remain in a gap, look for a route the boy can swim through alone instead of forcing the craft through
Public PC reports describe difficulty when upward movement and jump share a key, with rebinding jump alone as one response. Read jump in this guide as your current binding.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use left Ctrl for grab?
The default is right Ctrl. If left Ctrl does not work, try the right-side key or change the binding under Esc, settings and keyboard.
Where are run and attack buttons?
The basics are move, jump and grab. Speed and posture may change by scene; this guide does not claim Shift always accelerates movement.
Does failure restart the whole game?
There are many checkpoints, and retries usually begin nearby. Check light and object positions before hastily repeating your previous inputs.
I cannot see the searchlight shadows
Playdead's official support identifies missing shadows in the relevant puzzle as a known issue with old graphics drivers. Check the appropriate official driver and display state for your hardware.